Soft Office: a human–robot collaborative system for adaptive spatial configuration

The Soft Office project was developed in response to the rapidly changing context of commercial architecture, where accommodating fluid programmatic requirements occupants has become key sustainable interior space. is placed within a broader relevant research architectural robotics, situ robotic fabrication, and adaptive reconfigurable architecture. It establishes methodology for spatial configuration through implementation custom collaborative reconfiguration system. Within this system, human users task-specific robots perform complementary tasks toward dynamic goal that defined by set evaluative criteria intended predict successful space configurations (Bailey et al. Humanizing digital reality: design modeling symposium Paris 2017, Springer Singapore, pp 337–348, 2018). Venturing beyond robotics as merely means construction automation, presented deploys an approach critically engages future models interaction between humans mediated situ, architecturally embedded machines. In contrast conventional manufacturing process, worker executing fabrication according pre-designed blueprint, proposed user designer, worker, consumer outcome. This gives occupant agency reconfigure their environment needs well ability respond ad hoc outside forces, such social distancing post-quarantine re-occupation buildings. Furthermore, task-specificity system allows us speculate on roles designers development technology appropriation existing hardware look towards systems are architecture specific.